“I never thought about that, but it probably doesn’t make any difference now, since this may be the only time the hotel is ever occupied,” Judy said with a glum look of her face.
“Judy, don’t get discouraged. We’re going to find out who did this, but for now let’s enjoy the wine, the dinner, and each other. By the way, this wine is wonderful. I’m not familiar with the vineyard,” Roger said.
“Well, if you look out the window over there and down the road a bit, you’ll see it. I think I told you once that a neighbor of mine wants to buy my property, so he can expand his vineyard. In fact, he’s made me a number of offers to buy it, but I’ve turned all of them down, because I really want to make a go of this hotel and spa. Anyway, although I can’t stand the man, his wine is considered to be the best in the valley, and he and his wife sell out every year just a few months after they bottle it. He brought me two bottles recently when he was making yet another offer. I consider it to be bribe wine, but I have to grudgingly admit it’s excellent.”
“I can see why he sells out so quickly,” Roger said. “This may be the best wine I’ve ever had. Why don’t you like him?”
“The woman I bought the property from told me he’d been trying to buy the property from her for years, and there had been a number of incidents over the years, problems she said, that she attributed to him. She refused to sell it to him and told me she was selling it to me for a lot less than he’d offered her.”
“Did she say what the incidents were?” Liz asked.
“Not specifically. She said something about people who worked for her had received threats, and she suspected him of having something to do with a pet cat of hers that mysteriously disappeared. Evidently the cat went outside one day and never came back. She mentioned he told her once that she better sell to him, or she’d regret it. Things of that nature.”
“Sounds like someone who might want to see you go out of business. Does he have a wine tasting room?” Roger asked.
“Yes, and since I haven’t heard that he’s closed it yet due to a lack of inventory, he must still be pouring some wine, but as expensive as his wine is and the way he sells out of it every year, I don’t understand why he even bothers with a tasting room. Maybe it’s just an ego thing with him.”
“I think Liz and I will go there tomorrow under the pretense of tasting some wine and see if we can find out anything.”
“Roger, you don’t seriously think he could be the murderer, do you? I’m sure he didn’t even know Nikki,” Judy said.
“That may be true, but even though Nikki was murdered, it might not be about her. It might be about someone not wanting you to make your hotel and spa a success.” He turned to Renee and continued, “Renee, I hate to say this, but since you were the one who scheduled this reunion weekend to be held here at Judy’s hotel and spa, maybe it was someone who has it in for you.”
“You’re kidding, Roger. How could I possibly be involved in something like Nikki’s murder?” she asked.
“I have no idea, but I’d like you to think about it, and see if you can come up with any names of people who are jealous of you or could possibly be considered enemies. Not saying you have any, just saying if there is anyone you can think of, let’s put it on the table.”
“Speaking of tables,” Judy said, “it’s time to eat. By the way, Roger, in case you were wondering, Renee has told me that in spite of Nikki’s tragic death, she and her friends have decided to stay here for the weekend as they’d planned. She’s already paid for the treatments, and I’ve hired the spa personnel.”
“Yes, we’re definitely going to stay, right?” Renee said to her friends who nodded in agreement. “There’s nothing we can do, so we might as well spend some time together. I think tonight will be an early night, since Judy told me our first treatments are scheduled for 9:00 in the morning, and she serves breakfast from 7:30 to 9:00.”
They stood up, walked into the dining room, and sat down in front of the steaming bowls of clam chowder Judy’s assistant had placed on the table. A tossed green salad was next to each bowl along with plates at each end of the table piled high with warm sourdough bread.
They were quiet for a few moments while they tasted the soup. “Judy, this is the best clam chowder I’ve ever had. Did you make it or did your assistant?”
“Thanks, Roger, and yes, I did make it. It’s an old family recipe, and I agree with you that it’s really good. I still think it’s the best I’ve ever had even if I did make it. I know they serve clam chowder in all of the restaurants on the wharf in San Francisco, but I think what makes this one so good is that I put about twice as many clams in it than most other recipes call for, and I like to use the whole baby clams. So many of the recipes call for diced or minced clams to be put in it, and while they call it clam chowder, you’re lucky if you can even find one in it.”
Roger turned to Liz and said, “I think you better get this recipe, if Judy will give it to you. It would be great served at the Red Cedar Lodge.” He turned to Judy and said, “Any chance you’d share it with Liz?”
“Of course, I’ll run a copy off for Liz after dinner.”
“Perfect. In exchange, Liz and I will help you clean up the dishes. The rest of you can go get your beauty sleep, so you’ll be rested for your spa treatments in the morning.”
CHAPTER 12
“Judy, you look exhausted. Why don’t you sit at the kitchen table while Roger and I do the dishes? Winston would be more than happy to sit next to you. Right now, you look like you could use some dog therapy, and he’s very good at that.”
“Thanks, Liz. I think I’ll take you up on that. Winston, come here,” Judy said as she sat down at the table and motioned for the big boxer to sit next to her. He seemed to sense that she was very concerned about the events of the day and began licking her hand.
“Judy, you mentioned that your neighbor wanted to buy this property. Your refusal to sell to him could possibly provide a motive for him to discredit you and your business. That would make it more likely you would be willing to sell to him, but have you thought of anyone else who might want to see you fail?”
“Roger, I’ve been wracking my brain ever since we discovered Nikki, and I can’t think of anyone.”
“What about one of your ex-husbands?” he asked knowing that Judy had been married three times. He brought in more dishes for Liz to rinse and put in the dishwasher, as he asked Judy questions.
“No, that’s a dead end. I never see them or hear from them unless it’s at a wedding, a graduation, or a funeral, and then it’s very civil. Actually, I would say that all three have nothing but good things to say about me. Although I’m obviously not married to them now, I was lucky to part with all of them on an amicable basis.”
“Judy, ever since I’ve known you, and from what Liz has told me, there’s rarely been a time when a man wasn’t in your life. What’s been happening lately on that front?”
“Not much. Sure, I’ve been out with several different men since I moved to Calistoga, but there’s been nothing serious with any of them.”
“Is there any man presently in your life?” Roger asked pausing at the door before he went out to bring in another load of dishes from the dining room.
“I’ve been seeing one man for the past few weeks, but I can’t think of any reason why he would be involved in something like Nikki’s murder.”
“Tell us about him,” Liz said as she continued to load the dishwasher.
“My daughter was visiting me several weeks ago, and we went to a new French restaurant in Yountville for lunch. There were three men at the table next to us who were sharing a bottle of wine. I realized it was the same wine Brigitte and I had ordered, so I asked them how it was. One thing led to another and we ended up talking to them throughout lunch. Two of the men left and while the third one was paying his bill, he mentioned that he’d recently moved to Calistoga.
“I told him I was a new resident as well. We shared what each of us did an
d then he said, ‘I’m having the home I bought completely renovated. My mother is going to live with me when I’m finished with it, but it still needs some more work before that happens.’ Anyway, he said that his wife had passed away several years ago, and he’d love to have a woman’s opinion on the room he was having decorated for his mother and asked Brigitte and me if we had time to follow him to his home and give him our opinion.”
“You met some guy in a restaurant, and you followed him home?” Roger asked incredulously.
“Roger, you can drop those raised eyebrows. I said I had my daughter with me, plus we were in my car, and I decided if I didn’t like the looks of the area he was driving to, I could always stop following him. I honestly didn’t think the guy could even afford to eat in that restaurant. He was wearing a t-shirt, and I was a little nervous about where he lived. Believe me, it was completely innocent.”
Roger turned to Liz. “Did you do things like follow strange men to their homes before I met you?” he asked.
“Roger, I’m not Judy. She’s never met a man who didn’t like her. No, I did not follow strange men to their homes, but in full disclosure, I never had one ask me to.”
“Roger, this conversation is going nowhere. I’ll just close it by saying that Sam, that’s his name, didn’t live in a house, he lived in a mansion on twenty-three acres of prime Napa Valley real estate. His mother’s room was not a room, it was a huge suite. It was absolutely incredible, and he couldn’t have been nicer. He even gave me a case of olive oil that was produced on his property. I’ve been seeing him a couple of times a week since then. There is absolutely no way he could have been involved in this. He doesn’t want this property, and our relationship hasn’t gotten to the point where I could make him love me or hate me. Trust me, that’s a dead-end.”
“Judy,” Liz said laughing, “the one thing you’ve never done in all the years I’ve known you is bore me. Only you could go to a restaurant and end up seeing a man who must be one of the wealthiest men in Napa Valley and from what I hear, that’s saying a lot.”
“Okay, Judy, we’ll let Sam rest,” Roger said. “Since you don’t seem to have anyone you can think of who would want to see you fail other than your neighbor, what about Renee? Does she have any enemies? What about her ex-husband?”
“I’ve known Renee for about as long as I’ve known Liz and in all that time, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad word about her. She’s involved in more charities than I have fingers and toes, and she gives generously to each of them. She is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Her children and grandchildren adore her,” she said as a cloud seemed to pass over her face.
Liz knew that two of Judy’s children had struggled with drug abuse problems as well as being college dropouts. She and Judy had talked about it many times over the years, and Liz had suggested several times that Judy quit bailing them out of whatever mess they were in and let them fend for themselves. As far as she knew, Judy was still bailing them out. Her daughter, a psychologist, was the light of Judy’s life, and Liz was glad that at least she had a good relationship with her.
“What about Renee’s ex-husband?” Roger asked.
“I don’t think she’s seen him in years other than at some San Francisco charity gala or something like that. She’s been divorced a number of years, and from what she’s told me, he’s very happy with the woman he subsequently married, and they have two children. She told me once that the one redeeming feature her ex-husband has is that he’s remained a good father to his and Renee’s children over the years, and for that she was grateful.”
“From what you’ve told me so far, we have a big zero on the suspect list for Renee and pretty much for you other than your neighbor. Let’s look at the other women and Nikki herself. Do you know anything about them?”
“Only what Renee told me on the phone when she originally made the reservations. Since Liz just put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, let’s go in the living room, and I’ll tell you what she told me.” She stood up and they followed her into the living room, Winston bringing up the rear.
CHAPTER 13
“The kitchen chairs are fine, but these are far more comfortable,” Judy said sitting down in a soft wingback chair. Although the Serenity Hotel was a large two-story yellow and white Victorian style structure, which had been added onto several times over the years, Judy had the furniture custom-made to ensure it would be comfortable but still fit in with the Victorian style of architecture. It had been an expensive undertaking, but she wanted her guests to enjoy themselves, and she and her decorator had made sure that the furnishings in all of the rooms in the hotel accomplished that goal.
Roger and Liz each sat in a large chair near Judy’s with Winston at their feet between them. “Okay, Judy, I’d like you to tell us everything Renee told you about her friends.”
Judy relayed the conversation she’d had a few weeks earlier with Renee and concluded by saying, “That’s all I know. They arrived maybe an hour or so before you got here. I was busy telling them about the spa and getting them registered and in their rooms, so I never really had a chance to talk to them individually.”
“Tiffany and Nancy seem to fit in with Renee, as far as money, social status, and sophistication are concerned. I’m having trouble understanding how Amber fits in with the others, and from what you told us about her, I’m wondering why she continues to come to the reunions,” Roger said.
“I think I can answer that,” Liz said. “Roger, think about it, whether you’re a man or a woman, you hate to admit your friends fared better in life than you did. It sounds like she didn’t make much of her life, but she doesn’t want to admit it, so she continues to attend the reunions.”
“I can understand that, Liz, but what I don’t understand is why she didn’t express a lot more remorse about Nikki’s death. I wonder if there was bad blood between them. Are you sure Renee didn’t say something to you about their relationship?”
“No, not a thing,” Judy replied “but I agree, she doesn’t seem to fit in with the others. Something I wondered about is when Nikki got here, she sure didn’t look like she was from money either. She was wearing a faded skirt and cheap blouse that looked like she’d probably gotten both of them on sale at a discount store, and not one of the better ones, at that.”
“Renee told you there was some sort of scandal involving her husband and his real estate development business. Since you lived in San Francisco and traveled with Renee’s crowd, did you ever hear anything about that?” Roger asked.
“No. Her husband was in real estate development, and I only have one friend whose husband is involved in it. I suppose I could find out Nikki’s husband’s name and ask my friend if she knows anything.”
“I think that would be a good idea. From what Renee told you it seems that when Nikki was living in San Francisco she was quite wealthy and involved in a lot of the same charities that Renee was. Her husband must have likewise been pretty well off. Did she mention anything about him?”
“She told me they’d attended a number of charity galas and things like that over the years, but their circles of friends were different, so she never had a chance to get to know him.”
“Did she say anything about the talk that must have gone on after they left town and there were rumors of a scandal involving her husband?” Liz asked.
“I know it seems pretty unbelievable given Renee’s social status and money, but I’ve never known her to gossip. If she’s your friend, that’s it. She doesn’t get involved in gossip, simple as that. Since Nikki was part of her group, I would imagine if someone had said something about her or her husband, Renee would have stopped the person from continuing.”
“It sure might have helped solve this murder if she’d listened instead,” Roger grumbled. He looked at his watch. “It’s getting late, and we all need to get some sleep. I want to find out as much as I can in the next day and a half before I have to leave. Judy, would you ask Renee what Nikki’s
husband’s name is and then call your friend? At least we can start with that. Liz, I’d like you to come with me tomorrow afternoon when I go to the tasting room next door, and don’t forget you need to talk to the chief tomorrow morning. Maybe he’s found out something. Winston, come, you need to go outside before we head off to bed. Judy, see you in the morning.”
“I told you I have a great breakfast cook, so be sure and eat here. She’s really something,” Judy said standing up and turning the lamps off in the room. “Good night, and I’m so glad you two are here. I really don’t think I could have faced this by myself, although I am surprised we haven’t been inundated with the press.”
“Chief Oliphant said he wasn’t going to release any information regarding Nikki’s death until her husband was notified. The press may be here tomorrow. Good night, Judy,” Liz said.
“Good night. Oh, darn it, I forgot to run off that recipe. I’ll get it for you in the morning.”
CHAPTER 14
The next morning Roger looked out the window and said, “Liz, it looks like another beautiful day. I’ll feed Winston and then take him outside while you’re getting dressed. Meet you in the dining room. Come on, Winston, time for an outside and breakfast.”
A few minutes later Liz walked into the dining room where Roger was waiting at a table for her, drinking coffee. She looked at a nearby serving table that had been set up with a buffet breakfast on it. “Roger, I’m not even going to bother to sit down. This food looks wonderful. Judy wasn’t kidding when she said she’d hired a great breakfast cook.”
Roger joined her at the buffet table and began filling his plate. “I don’t know what else is in these little ham and egg things, but if they taste half as good as they look, I’ll be a very happy man,” Roger said.
“I agree. I’ll have to see if I can get this recipe from Judy as well,” she said as she helped herself to a large spoonful of fresh fruit and a muffin. The cook had written down the names of the various dishes and put them in place card holders in front of each item. According to the card, the muffin Liz had chosen was made with bananas and walnuts. Liz served a lot of muffins at her lodge and was always on the lookout for a new recipe. She was pretty sure this was another one she’d be asking for.
Murder in Calistoga: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Page 5
